If I Can’t Have You Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Don't know why I'm surviving every lonely day
When there's got to be no chance for me
My life would end
And it doesn't matter how I cry
My tears of love are a waste of time
If I turn away

[Pre-Chorus]
Am I strong enough to see it through?
Go crazy is what I will do

[Chorus]
If I can't have you, I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, oh, oh
If I can't have you, I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, oh, oh

[Verse 2]
Can't let go, and it doesn't matter how I try
I gave it all so easily to you, my love
To dreams that never will come true

[Pre-Chorus]
Am I strong enough to see it through?
Go crazy is what I will do
[Chorus]
If I can't have you, I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, oh, oh
If I can't have you, I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, oh, oh

[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus]
Oh, if I can't have you, I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, oh, oh (Don't want nobody)
If I can't have you, I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, oh, oh (I don't want nobody)
If I can't have you, I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, oh, oh (Nobody)
If I can't have you, I don't want nobody, baby
If I can't have you, oh, oh
If I can't have you, I don't want nobody, baby

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About

Genius Annotation

Yvonne Ellimann’s 1978 disco hit from the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA. Ellimann was already a star thanks to her role as Mary Magdelene in the rock musical film Jesus Christ Superstar. Like her hit song from that film “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “If I Can’t Have You” deals with the theme of unrequited passion. The song was written by the disco/r&b group The Bee Gees; they also recorded version that appeared as the B-side of the single “Stayin' Alive,” also from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. An American of Japanese and Irish descent, Ellimann helped bring additional diversity to the late 1970s disco music scene.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

When was the Bee Gees' version released?
Genius Answer

The version performed by the Bee Gees was released in December 1977 as a B side to the single “Stayin' Alive.”

What other albums has the song appeared on?
Genius Answer

Yvonne Ellimann’s 1978 solo album Night Flight, and the 1999 soundtrack to the film Big Daddy.

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